McCarthy wants long stay

Mick McCarthy fully expects to remain at Wolves for years to come - even if the club are relegated.

Last Updated: 13/01/11 8:25pm

Mick McCarthy fully expects to remain at Wolves for years to come - even if the club are relegated from the Premier League.

McCarthy took charge at Molineux in the summer of 2006, making him the current ninth longest-serving manager in English football.

He has had to contend with fluctuations of form on the pitch that might have increased the scrutiny on his position, but Wolves owner Steve Morgan and chief executive Jez Moxey have always given their full backing.

McCarthy, who is on a one-year rolling contract, says the stability around the club has helped Wolves recover from being bottom of the table with recent shock wins over Liverpool and Chelsea.

When asked if he would be at Wolves long-term, McCarthy said: "That is what I believe. It helps with everyone, the stability of the club.

"I know what it is like when your future is supposedly in the balance.

"When I was at Sunderland, some clever person at the club arranged a poll of the local paper asking 'should Mick go' and it turned out 60-40 in my favour.

Not fragmented

"That didn't help. Here the support has been there from everyone. I've been backed by the fans, the club has as well.

"It's just a good feeling around the place. It's not getting fragmented.

"I'm sure there are a few message boards and phone-ins but you turn up to our games and the fans are fantastic and behind me and the team - and in and around the town they are."

McCarthy added: "It (the stability) has obviously done us good because we were bottom, dead and buried a few weeks ago and now we are fourth from bottom and it looks a lot healthier.

"Maybe that is reward for supporting the team, the manager, the club. It is not fragmented and no-one is talking about me losing my job which has never been uttered."

McCarthy is also adamant there will be no wholesale departures from his squad even if Wolves go down.

He said: "We haven't got players in the team thinking 'if we go down, I won't be here anyway.'

"I've got players here thinking we had better stay up because I'm going to be here, the club don't need the money, there won't be any stupid sales.

"If the worst happens and we do go down, there won't be any wholesale departures.

"They will have to put up with me and each other and have to get us back up.

"They know and that really makes them fight for it. None of them are thinking 'I'm not bothered, I'll leave'."

One for the future

Wolves have put in a £150,000 bid for Dundee striker Leigh Griffiths but McCarthy recognises that if he does sign it would be wrong to expect too much too soon.

He said: "With the greatest respect to Lee, I don't want anyone thinking we are signing a Premier League striker that is going to come in and rip it up at the moment.

"That is not the case but what we've always done is sign players who we think might be valuable to us and a bargain.

"We've done it in the past - Ward, Foley, Edwards, Kightly, lots and lots of them we have done shrewd deals for.

"Lee has got a good goalscoring record and he is just one we think we might eventually develop into a good player."